Governments study guide answer key (1a)
Ss7cg1a & ss7cg1b
1)What is a difference between an autocratic government and a democratic government?
In democracies, the power of the government is limited.Explanation:
In democracies, the power of the government is limited.Democracies and autocratic governments are very different. In democracies, the people rule; in autocratic governments, a few have unlimited power.
2)Which type of government consists of a single, self-appointed ruler who holds political control over an entire country?
autocracy
Explanation:
In anautocracypolitical power within a nation is held by a single, self-appointed ruler. In an autocratic government, the citizen has very limited rights and civic participation.
3)Which type of government has no distinct separation between the powers of the legislative branch and the executive branch, is headed by a prime minister?
parliamentary democracy
Explanation:
In aparliamentary democracythe legislative branch and executive branch work very closely together to pass legislation and govern the country.
4)Which form of government would have the MOST amount of citizen participation?
a democracy
Explanation:
A democracywould have the most amount of citizen participation because in this type of government members of society have equal access to political power through voting and elections.
5)The government of Israel can be classified as aparliamentary democracy.Which statement provides the BEST definition of this type of government?
a government ruled by an elected legislature and a prime minister
Explanation:
In a parliamentary democracy, thegovernment is ruled by an elected legislative branch and a prime minister.In Israel, the prime minister is nominated by the president, who serves as a ceremonial head of state and holds no real political power.
6)How does a dictatorship MOST differ from a democracy?
In a democracy, citizens share in governing and being governed.
Explanation:
In a democracy, citizens share in governing and being governed. In a dictatorship, absolute power (not limited) belongs to a small group or individual whereas in a democracy, the power belongs to the people.
7)Which statement BEST describes a difference between a presidential system of democracy and a parliamentary system of democracy?
The prime minister act as head of the national government in a parliamentary state ONLY.
Explanation:
The prime minister act as head of the national government in a parliamentary state ONLY.In a parliamentary system, the monarch or president is the head of state, whereas in a presidential system, the president is head of the executive branch, but there are two other branches that help lead the national government.
8)Which type of government can be absolute, granting citizens little political power, or constitutional, granting citizens a much greater amount of political power?
monarchy
Explanation:
A constitutionalmonarchyhas a king or queen with power limited by a constitution. This type of monarchy often is fairly democratic. An absolutemonarchyis more autocratic, where the ruler has practically unlimited power and citizens have almost no political power.
9) If a country has a military dictatorship, how much democracy, civil liberties, and personal freedoms would you expect to see? Why?
Military dictatorship
Explanation:
In a military dictatorship, the government will most likely be autocratic with one ruler who took control by force. In this form of government, the liberties and freedoms are limited because the leader wants to maintain his control over the people. Giving them too many freedoms may lead to a loss of power.
10)Through late-2011, Libya's government was often called a "state of the masses," but in reality it was led by Colonel Muammar Qadhafi. This means that the government was mostly based on
autocracy.
Explanation:
Since the 1970s Libya was basically anautocracy,under the rule of Colonel Qadhafi. This is a system of government in which one person exercises final and unlimited authority. The people actually have very little say in government. This came to an end in the autumn of 2011 with a revolution that toppled his regime.
11) In the country of Lesotho a king is the head of state but a prime minister holds governmental power. This is an example of what form of government?
parliamentary
Explanation:
Lesotho has aparliamentaryform of government, technically a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The king is a ceremonial figure, but real political power rests in the Prime Minster, who is chosen by the National Assembly.
12)A person becomes the leader of a democracy by
being elected by popular vote.
Explanation:
In a democracy, leaders receive their position bybeing elected by popular vote. In other words, the people directly vote the person into leadership.
13)Which of these would MOST LIKELY be an attribute of a healthy democracy?
a universally free voting system
Explanation:
A universally free voting systemwould be an attribute of a healthy democracy. Free elections that all citizens are allowed to participate in are a hallmark of strong democracies. The other options are all more common in non-democratic nations.
14)Which of these is an explanation for why it is important for a democratic government to hold regular elections?
to preserve the connection between voters and the governmentExplanation:
Democratic governments must hold regular elections in orderto preserve the connection between voters and the government. A democratic government depends on the relationship between its people and their representative to operate successfully. Regular elections help to actively maintain this relationship and ensure that the people continue to have a voice in their government.
15) From 1965 to 1997, Joseph Mobutu controlled the country of Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo). He amassed great personal wealth, was the only person on election ballots, and intimidated or murdered his opponents. With this information, you could classify Mobutu's reign as being
autocratic.
Explanation:
You could call the reign of Mobutu as beingautocratic.His will was uniformly imposed on the country, regardless of any previous law or basic decency of human rights.